Pelicans pack house but falter on Opening Night

Three-run first and third innings on Thursday night were more than enough for the Frederick Keys to spoil the Myrtle Beach Pelicans’ Opening Day in front of a sellout crowd at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark with a 6-2 win.

After scoring a run without hitting the ball out of the infield in the first inning, a two-run double later in the frame from Randolph Gassaway, who finished with three RBIs on the night, made it 3-0 Keys.

The third inning started with three straight singles for the Keys. Gassaway knocked in the first run with a sacrifice fly, Jake Ring lined an RBI double and Alex Murphy finished off the scoring with an RBI single of his own to make it 6-0.

The Birds fought back in the fifth. Andruw Monasterio and Aramis Ademan singled to start the frame. Following a D.J. Wilson walk to load the bases, P.J. Higgins, who went 2-for-4 to open the season, lined a two-run single to cut the deficit to 6-2.

Along with Higgins, Monasterio also had two hits on the night. The Pelicans finished with six hits as a team.

Keegan Thompson (0-1) was saddled with the loss for Myrtle Beach, going five innings while allowing six runs, five earned, while Brandon Kline (1-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Thompson retired the last eight batters he faced.

The Birds’ Casey Bloomquist ran into some trouble in the sixth on the hill, but escaped a bases-loaded jam and threw two innings without allowing a run. Chad Hockin relieved him and also did not surrender a run in two frames.

Game two of the four-game set against Frederick comes on Friday at 7 p.m.